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God’s Collage

I am really beginning to love Long Island. Beautiful ocean, white sand, gentle breeze, sound of the shore, open space, different shells and stones. I scoop down and begin collecting them because I know when I put them together they are going to look beautiful … For they are all different in their own way, maybe some similar, some cracked, some not, some transparent, some with colors, some dark, some large, some tiny, some ragged but all together they make a beautiful collection of art.

Just like us. I think we are very much the same way actually. This Scripture tells us in 2 Corinthians 3:18, “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror of the glory of the Lord, are been transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

Now the word of God tells us that we are all going to be transformed into the same image and not only that but that it is going to be glorious. Right now we all contain our own level of glory that God has given to us because He is IN US. He tells us that when we are all transformed we actually become one and that makes us go from glory to glory.

New levels. Many levels. Unending levels.

For how exciting that can be for us when we have that perspective. Sometimes we look at who we are, where we are and then begin to have doubt. We get discouraged, always thinking that we have nothing to give because of what we have been through or are still going through. But with this, God actually takes those things and gives us a beautiful story. He gives us the ability and makes us able to stand strong [Ephesians 6]. Then we come to realize that nothing was able to take us down because we had something glorious inside of us all along…. G O D!

That glory is what God placed inside of us to be able to endure any trial and any circumstance. With others, then we are also able to come together and become EVEN STRONGER! As I was at the beach, I kept collecting the rocks and shells and putting them in this plastic bag. With every piece the bag continued to get heavier and heavier. It had so much weight to it from the many shells and stones. So I thought, the same way we continue to pile up together –we actually become stronger!

We just need to get rid of any mindset that tells us that we are all alone, that we have nobody else, or that are better off being by ourselves… when this is never the case with God! He created togetherness. That’s why He is even part of a Holy Trinity!

FATHER SON HOLY SPIRIT

In the same way, He wants us to function with togetherness and with power. This comes with unity…like the people had in the Book of Acts! With that being said, we also have to keep in mind that everybody is different. Maybe some people are even more similar than others and others could be very much opposite. In any case, we will have something beautiful on our own and when we come together it is MORE beautiful and MORE glorified. The Bible tells us in 1 Corinthians 1:31 that, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” That is what we glory about. We glory about what God does inside of us, we glory about what He does in us, what He does through us and for us. It is what He wants to do with the body of Christ through broken and flawed vessels like us. When we all come together and share our stories. In this way we actually make an exquisite collage.

When you think of a collage it is defined as a technique of composing a work of art by pasting on a single surface various materials not normally associated with one another, as newspaper clippings, parts of photographs, theater tickets, and fragments of an envelope. When we come together as one, as a body of Christ, we actually become God’s collage! This is where He takes all of the different pieces and places us together in a single surface called the church. This is known as the body of Christ! This is God’s church. This is God’s ultimate purposed. This is what God is calling fellowship and having an open communion. This is God’s collage and God’s artwork. For how beautiful it is when we can all come together as one, take all our broken pieces, all our differences and put them together.

Today is called friendship day! We take a moment to acknowledge, to recognize and to appreciate the people that God has placed beside us, even if there are some that are more difficult than others. The truth is when you find difficulty –you actually discover more beauty. Because as hard as it was to put it together, we were able to do it despite any obstacles, barriers or differences. It is possible. That is a like-mindedness. It is called acceptance. With my closest friends, we have conquered very difficult circumstances. Now we are called “best” friends.

Just like all the shells and rocks that I collected for the purpose of decorating, as I put them inside the bowl filled with sand [which is the single surface] I took a picture because together it actually looked very beautiful. All the beautiful and different pieces placed in the same surface became a unique collection of art for a nice display in my dining room. I shared the photos, and they agreed. Wow, how BEAUTIFUL! I took the broken and torn pieces that actually hurt your feet stepping on them and placed them in a single place for an eye-catching display.

This must be a good thing when it is a God-thing. Take your life and place it before God. Come to a place in your life where you can mesh with others…He wants to make a collage. Why would you think for one moment that your piece and contribution won’t make a difference–when it really does.

You are God’s design.

You are a part of God’s collage.

You are a work of art.

You have something unique to contribute.

You have a story that is life-impacting and worth sharing.

Today is a new day – fresh mercies and not just friendship day. But a day to make a difference. Share what God has given you, share your time, your words, your smile, your hugs… There is so much that you can give. Since God is the Creator of all things, then He knows what He is doing with this arrangement… What a collage, when it was designed by God.

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Christina Blessings to all that are viewing this. My name is Christina Cruz-Mendez. I am a Pastor at Mission United International Church in Yonkers, NY working along side my husband Juan A. Mendez Jr. Senior Pastor. We have been together for 25 years with 2 children that God has blessed us with. Makes us the family of four - "JusChrist4". I have been a Christian and active in ministry for about 17 years now. Through all the rocky and smooth roads in life I am eternally grateful that God has brought me this far in life to share with the world what He is doing in me, through me and for me.